Patent application title: ELECTRONIC DEVICE

Abstract:

An electronic device includes a casing, an image capturing module, and a
biaxial hinge element. The biaxial hinge element has a first hinge and a
second hinge. Two ends of the first hinge protrude from two sides of the
biaxial hinge element thus to be pivotally connected to the casing,
respectively. The second hinge is pivotally connected to the image
capturing module.

Claims:

1. An electronic device comprising:a casing;an image capturing module;
anda biaxial hinge element having a first hinge and a second hinge, two
ends of the first hinge protruding from two sides of the biaxial hinge
element to be pivotally connected to the casing, the second hinge
pivotally connected to the image capturing module.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the first hinge and
the second hinge are perpendicular to each other.

3. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the two ends of the
first hinge have a pivot portion respectively, and the second hinge has
at least one pivot portion.

4. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the biaxial hinge
element comprises a cross universal joint or a T-shaped universal joint.

5. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the biaxial hinge
element further comprises two covers connected with each other and
covering at least one portion of the first hinge and the second hinge.

6. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the biaxial hinge
element further comprises at least one C-shaped ring disposed around the
first hinge or the second hinge and pushing the casing or the image
capturing module, respectively.

7. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the casing has at
least one recess for containing the biaxial hinge element or the image
capturing module.

8. The electronic device according to claim 7, wherein the casing has an
arm portion disposed on an outer side of the recess, and the first hinge
is pivotally connected with the arm portion.

9. The electronic device according to claim 7, wherein the casing
comprises a sliding mechanism disposed at the recess and pivotally
connected with the first hinge.

10. The electronic device according to claim 9, wherein the sliding
mechanism has a sliding frame and a fastening portion, the sliding frame
is slidingly disposed at the recess, and the fastening portion is
fastened to the recess.

11. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the image
capturing module and the biaxial hinge element are disposed at one corner
of the casing.

[0003]The invention relates to an electronic device and, more
particularly, to an electronic device capable of capturing images.

[0004]2. Related Art

[0005]As the popularity of network communication, current electronic
devices such as a notebook, a desktop, and a portable communication
device can provide a multimedia function of image input/output. To
satisfy needs in different cases such as video conferences or instant
messaging systems, the electronic device with an image capturing module
has to be provided.

[0006]Please refer to FIG. 1A. A conventional notebook 1 includes a
display 11, a main body 12, and a camera 13. The display 11 includes a
display panel 111 and a casing 112. The display panel 111 is contained in
the casing 112. The main body 12 includes a keyboard 121 used as an input
device. The camera 13 used as an image input device is embedded in the
center of the top portion of the display panel 111, and it is pivotally
connected to the casing 112.

[0007]In FIG. 1B, the camera 13 is pivotally connected to the casing 112,
thus the camera 13 can rotate in a direction T1 to capture images.
However, the camera 13 is connected to the casing 112 via a single-axial
hinge, and the camera 13 only rotates along the single axis. For example,
the camera 13 only rotate upward or downward in the direction T1, so not
all images at any location can be captured. For example, images of great
viewpoints on the left and right sides of the camera 13 may fail to be
captured.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0008]The invention provides an electronic device having an image
capturing module capable of rotating in a plurality of axial directions
to improve the prior art.

[0009]According to one aspect of the invention, an electronic device
includes a casing, an image capturing module, and a biaxial hinge
element. The biaxial hinge element has a first hinge and a second hinge.
Two ends of the first hinge protrude from two sides of the biaxial hinge
element thus to be pivotally connected to the casing, respectively. The
second hinge is pivotally connected to the image capturing module.

[0010]In one embodiment of the invention, the first hinge and the second
hinge may be perpendicular to each other.

[0011]In one embodiment of the invention, the two ends of the first hinge
may have a pivot portion respectively, and the second hinge may have at
least one pivot portion.

[0012]In one embodiment of the invention, the biaxial hinge element may
include a cross universal joint or a T-shaped universal joint.

[0013]In one embodiment of the invention, the casing may have at least one
recess for containing the biaxial hinge element and/or image capturing
module.

[0014]In one embodiment of the invention, the casing may include a sliding
mechanism disposed at the recess and pivotally connected with the first
hinge.

[0015]To sum up, the electronic device according to the invention has a
biaxial hinge element. Two ends of the first hinge protrude from two
sides of the biaxial hinge element thus to be pivotally connected to the
casing, respectively, and the second hinge is pivotally connected to the
image capturing module, thus allowing the image capturing module to be
capable of rotating in a plurality of axial directions. Therefore,
multi-viewpoint images (including images in front of and at the back of
the displaying surface of the electronic device) can be captured, thus
greatly enlarging the capturing scope of the image capturing module.

[0016]These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present
invention will become better understood with regard to the following
description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017]FIG. 1A is a schematic diagram of a conventional notebook;

[0018]FIG. 1B is a schematic diagram showing rotation of a camera of the
notebook in FIG. 1A;

[0019]FIG. 2A is a schematic diagram of an electronic device according to
a first embodiment of the invention;

[0020]FIG. 2B is an enlarged partial schematic diagram of the electronic
device according to the first embodiment of the invention;

[0021]FIG. 2C is a schematic diagram of a biaxial hinge element in FIG.
2B;

[0022]FIG. 2D and FIG. 2E are schematic diagrams showing operation of an
image capturing module and a biaxial hinge element of the electronic
device according to the first embodiment of the invention;

[0023]FIG. 3A is a schematic diagram of an electronic device according to
a second embodiment of the invention;

[0024]FIG. 3B is an enlarged partial schematic diagram of the electronic
device according to the second embodiment of the invention;

[0025]FIG. 3C and FIG. 3D are schematic diagrams showing operation of an
image capturing module and a biaxial hinge element of the electronic
device according to the second embodiment of the invention;

[0026]FIG. 4A is a schematic diagram of an electronic device according to
a third embodiment of the invention;

[0027]FIG. 4B is an enlarged partial schematic diagram of the electronic
device according to the third embodiment of the invention; and

[0028]FIGS. 4C-4E are schematic diagrams showing operation of an image
capturing module and a biaxial hinge element of the electronic device
according to the third embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A First Embodiment

[0029]Please refer to FIG. 2A. An electronic device 2 according to the
first embodiment of the invention may be a notebook, a desktop, a
communication device, a flat panel display device, or other electronic
device having an image capturing module.

[0030]The electronic device 2 in this embodiment may be a notebook
including a casing 20, an image capturing module 21, and a biaxial hinge
element 22. In this embodiment, the casing 20 is an outer casing
containing a display panel P. The image capturing module 21 can include a
charge coupled device (CCD), a complementary metal oxide semiconductor
(CMOS), or other opto-electronic element capable of converting light into
electrical signals to form images. Further, the electronic device 2 can
further include a main body 23 having a keyboard 231 used as an input
device.

[0031]FIG. 2B is an enlarged partial schematic diagram showing the image
capturing module 21. In FIG. 2B, the biaxial hinge element 22 has a first
hinge 221 and a second hinge 222. The first hinge 221 and the second
hinge 222 are connected with each other. Two ends of the first hinge 221
protrude from two sides of the biaxial hinge element 22 thus to be
pivotally connected to the casing 20 respectively, forming a first axis
(of rotation). The second hinge 222 is pivotally connected to the image
capturing module 21. The image capturing module 21 can rotate along the
first axis and the second axis. Therefore, the image capturing module 21
can rotate in a plurality of axial directions.

[0032]Further, the casing 20 has at least one recess C2 for containing the
biaxial hinge element 22 and/or the image capturing module 21. The recess
C2 in this embodiment is a through hole and is disposed in the center of
the casing 20, thus containing the biaxial hinge element 22 and the image
capturing module 21.

[0033]The biaxial hinge element 22 may be further described hereinbelow.
In FIG. 2C, the first hinge 221 and the second hinge 222 of the biaxial
hinge element 22 in this embodiment are perpendicular to each other, and
they are integrally formed. The first hinge 221 has two pivot portions
a1, a1' disposed at the two ends of the first hinge 221 and protruding
from the two sides of the biaxial hinge element 22. Further, the two
pivot portions a1, a1' are disposed at a first axis A-O-A'. The second
hinge 222 has at least one pivot portion. In this embodiment, two pivot
portions b1, b1' are taken for example, and they are disposed at a second
axis B-O-B'. The biaxial hinge element 22 can include a cross universal
joint or a T-shaped universal joint. In this embodiment, the biaxial
hinge element 22 is a cross universal joint formed by the first hinge 221
and the second hinge 222. The biaxial hinge element 22 in this embodiment
further includes two covers B1, B2 connected with each other and covering
at least one portion of the first hinge 221 and the second hinge 222.

[0034]In FIG. 2B and FIG. 2C, the pivot portions a1, a1' of the first
hinge 221 protruding from the two sides of the biaxial hinge element 22
are pivotally connected to the casing 20. Further, the second hinge 222
has at least one pivot portion pivotally connected to the image capturing
module 21. In this embodiment, the pivot portion b1' is pivotally
connected to the image capturing module 21. The biaxial hinge element 22
further includes at least one C-shaped ring R disposed around the first
hinge 221 and/or the second hinge 222 and pressing the casing 20 and/or
the image capturing module 21, respectively. In this embodiment, the
biaxial hinge element 22 has a plurality of C-shaped rings R disposed
around the pivot portion a1, a1' of the first hinge 221 and pressing the
casing 20 and disposed around the pivot portion b1' of the second hinge
222 and pressing the image capturing module 21, respectively.

[0035]The operation of the image capturing module 21 via the biaxial hinge
element 22 in this embodiment is described as follows. In FIG. 2D, the
image capturing module 21 can rotate in a direction T1 via the first
hinge 221 to capture images at the back of the display panel P; in FIG.
2E, the image capturing module 21 can rotate in another direction T2 via
the second hinge 222 to capture images in front of the display panel P.
Of course, multi-viewpoint images including the images in the up, down,
left, and right directions in front of and/or at the back of the display
panel P can be captured via the first hinge 221 and the second hinge 222.

A Second Embodiment

[0036]Please refer to FIG. 3A. An electronic device 3 according to the
second embodiment of the invention includes a casing 30, an image
capturing module 31, and a biaxial hinge element 32. The electronic
device 3 in this embodiment may be a flat panel display device such as a
liquid crystal display (LCD). In this embodiment, the casing 30 is an
outer frame containing a flat display panel P and has a recess C3
disposed at one corner of the casing 30 for containing the image
capturing module 31 and the biaxial hinge element 32.

[0037]In FIG. 3B, in this embodiment, two ends of a first hinge 321 of the
biaxial hinge element 32 are pivotally connected to the casing 30. The
casing 30 has an arm portion E disposed on an outer side of the recess
C3, and two pivot portions a2, a2' of the first hinge 321 are pivotally
connected to the arm portion E. A second hinge 322 is pivotally connected
to one side of the image capturing module 31 via pivotally connecting a
pivot portion b2 and the image capturing module 31. The structure of the
biaxial hinge element 32 is the same as the biaxial hinge element 22 in
the first embodiment, and therefore it is not described for concise.

[0038]Please refer to FIG. 3C and FIG. 3D. The operation of the image
capturing module 31 via the biaxial hinge element 32 in this embodiment
is described as follows. In FIG. 3C, the image capturing module 31 can
rotate in a direction T2 via the first hinge 321 to capture images at the
back of the display panel P; in FIG. 3D, the image capturing module 31
can rotate in another direction T1 via the second hinge 322 to capture
images in front of the display panel P. Of course, multi-viewpoint images
including the images in the up, down, left, and right directions in front
of and/or at the back of the display panel P can be captured via the
first hinge 321 and the second hinge 322.

A Third Embodiment

[0039]Please refer to FIG. 4A. An electronic device 4 according to the
third embodiment includes a casing 40, an image capturing module 41, and
a biaxial hinge element 42. Similarly, the electronic device 4 in this
embodiment may be flat panel display device. The casing 40 in this
embodiment is an outer frame containing a flat display panel P. In this
embodiment, the image capturing module 41 and the biaxial hinge element
42 are disposed at one corner of the casing 40. The casing 40 has a
recess C4 such as a sliding track for containing the image capturing
module 41 and the biaxial hinge element 42. The casing 40 further
includes a sliding mechanism 43 pivotally connected with two ends of a
first hinge of the biaxial hinge element 42.

[0040]Please refer to FIG. 4B. The sliding mechanism 43 is disposed at the
recess C4 and has a sliding frame 431 and a fastening portion 432. The
sliding frame 431 is slidingly disposed at the recess C4, and the
fastening portion 432 is fastened to the recess C4. The sliding mechanism
43 is pivotally connected to the first hinge 421. In this embodiment, two
pivot portions a3, a3' of the first hinge 421 are pivotally connected
with the sliding frame 431 of the sliding mechanism 43. A second hinge
422 is pivotally connected with the image capturing module 41 via
pivotally connecting a pivot portion b3 and the image capturing module
41. The structure of the biaxial hinge element 42 is the same as the
biaxial hinge element 22 in the first embodiment, and therefore it is not
described for concise.

[0041]Please refer to FIGS. 4C-4E. The operation of the image capturing
module 41 via the sliding mechanism 43 and the biaxial hinge element 42
in this embodiment is described as follows. In FIG. 4C, the sliding
mechanism 43 can be slid out of or into the recess C4 (arrows in the
figure indicates the moving direction). When the sliding mechanism 43 is
slid out, capturing scope can be enlarged; when the sliding mechanism 43
is slid in, the image capturing module 41 can be hidden. In FIG. 4D, the
image capturing module 41 can rotate in a direction T2 via the first
hinge 421 to capture images at the back of the display panel P; in FIG.
4E, the image capturing module 41 can rotate in another direction T1 via
the second hinge 422 to capture images in front of the display panel P.
Of course, multi-viewpoint images including the images in the up, down,
left, and right directions in front of and/or at the back of the display
panel P can be captured via the sliding mechanism 43, the first hinge
421, and the second hinge 422.

[0042]To sum up, the electronic device in the invention has a biaxial
hinge element. Two ends of the first hinge protrude from two sides of the
biaxial hinge element thus to be pivotally connected to the casing
respectively, and the second hinge is pivotally connected to the image
capturing module, thus allowing the image capturing module to be capable
of rotating in a plurality of axial directions. Therefore,
multi-viewpoint images (including images in front of and at the back of
the displaying surface of the electronic device) can be captured, thus
greatly enlarging the capturing scope of the image capturing module.

[0043]Although the present invention has been described in considerable
detail with reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof, the
disclosure is not for limiting the scope of the invention. Persons having
ordinary skill in the art may make various modifications and changes
without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Therefore,
the scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the description
of the preferred embodiments described above.